Global survey ranks Ministry of Works in top 12% for strategy management performance

The finding is the result of a recent global survey conducted by Palladium Group, a US-based specialist in systems and processes to improve the execution of business strategy, and it endorses the Ministry's approach as a best practice organisation in 'operationalizing' strategy and further endorses the Ministry's success story in strategy management.

"This accolade endorses our performance and abilities and it confirms the soundness of our approach to strategy management, which guides our direction in our vital role in providing public works services in the Kingdom and in contributing towards achieving sustainable economic and social development. It is also integral to our capability of achieving the goals of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030,"

said HE Fahmi Bin Ali Al Jowder, Minister of Works and Minister in Charge of the Electricity and Water Authority.

From 2004 the Ministry has been diligently progressing its strategic intentions and directions and it has been achieving breakthrough results since adopting strategy management.

During 2007, the Ministry had accomplished projects worth more than ten times the projects it achieved in 2004 using almost the same number of staff.

The Ministry's strategic intent and direction was validated as being in accordance with the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 which also acknowledged that its strategic objectives are also in full alignment with all relevant national objectives.

In addition, the Ministry's strategic business plan has also gained credibility and support from Government and Non-Government entities including the UNDP support for Public-Private Partnership approaches and programs as well as Palladium's 'Execution Premium' recognition. The Ministry is currently a candidate for The Palladium Group's Hall of Fame 2009 Award, which is bestowed on organizations who exemplify best practice in Balanced Scorecard implementation for executing their strategies.

The Ministry of Works has a complete framework in place for formulating, planning, executing, managing and validating strategy based on the latest Balanced Scorecard principles. It is managing its entire strategy through participative management with more than 200 staff actively involved in strategy management along with full support from the organisation.

The Ministry's strategy incorporates themes, objectives, measures, targets and initiatives which are mapped and aligned with all business units in the organization.

"As a high performance organisation we take pride at the high level of strategic planning that goes into our work. Our strategy is the result of a comprehensive process which began in 2002 during which the Ministry's structure, systems, policies, people, knowledge and culture and the external environment were all analyzed in the creation of a comprehensive management development plan," added Mr Al Jowder.

"The strategy management tools which we use enable us to translate our strategy into action, to align resources to our strategy and to report and track execution through regular reviews."

Through its strategy management tools, the Ministry has also achieved enthusiasm and buy-in from staff and intra-department collaboration is at an all time high.

Transparency & knowledge sharing has also increased and the Ministry has created a level of flexibility that allows it to swiftly align with any national strategic direction, such as with the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and the Center of Excellence model.

"Our strategy positions us as a leading professional organisation embracing the principles of fairness, competitiveness and sustainability and this fits our role as a key planning player in all national strategies and a leader in public-private partnership and project management practices," added Mr Al Jowder.

Complementing its strategy management credentials is the Ministry's Strategic Planning Section, which as an office of strategy management is a regional first for the Government sector.

"Our strength in strategy management stems from the genuine use of a participative management style, which has gained the full buy-in from all key personnel in the Ministry, and which supports the collaboration towards being a strategy-focused organization. This synergy of efforts drives us to the ultimate competitive advantage of being a leading professional organization providing quality services," added Raja Yousif Al Zayani, Chief of Strategic Planning.

"Our strategic planning offices serve as a Centre of Excellence for strategy management, which necessitates a central corporate forum capable of running required workshops and continuous meetings spanning the full discipline of strategy management."

A Project Management Office to drive the newly set Project Management System works in synchronization with strategy management to integrate strategy aligned performance management to project management and to link core business and management initiatives with operational projects.

This collaborative effort aims to optimise performance across technical, managerial and individual levels. The link between strategic initiatives and operational projects is the main driver for the Ministry's success in bridging the gap between strategy and operations.